Behind Enemy Lines: Atlanta Falcons

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan (2) passes from the pocket in the first half of an NFL football game against the Atlanta Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, Sunday, Nov. 11, 2012. (AP Photo/Bill Haber)

After losing five straight games, the Arizona Cardinals had a much needed bye week.

Now back in action, the Cardinals are looking to end that skid against the Atlanta Falcons on the road.

The Cardinals' last trip to Atlanta was a 41-7 blowout in 2010 and the team has not won in the Georgia dome since 1993.

The Falcons are coming off a disappointing loss to a New Orleans Saints, but their 8-1 record is still best in the NFL.

Led by quarterback Matt Ryan, their offense ranks sixth in the NFL with 385.2 yards per game.

"These guys are so close and moving in the right direction that we'll make a determination as late as we possibly can," Mike Smith said. "We can do it as late as we possibly can. They are working to get back. We are hoping that they'll continue to progress tomorrow, Saturday and Sunday morning."

"Everybody's going to nitpick," Turner said on Thursday. "We're a different team this year, obviously, with philosophies and things like that, but I mean we're 8-1. That's the bottom line. To get Ws. We're not worried about it."

"They are all doing well," defensive line coach Ray Hamilton said Thursday. "They have been practicing all year, but they haven't been practicing on our side of the ball a whole lot because they've been doing mostly scout-team stuff."

The Atlanta Falcons have the best record in the NFC and are tied with the Houston Texans for the best record in the NFL. Will both teams continue as the best in their conferences - and advance to the Super Bowl? Here's what the oddsmakers think.

Three times the Falcons went for it on third-and-short, three times they failed, and the repercussions rang in their ears throughout last offseason.

Those were the lasting images from their blowout playoffs defeat at the Giants in January. There were echoes when the Falcons flopped on short-yardage runs during their 28-27 loss at New Orleans on Sunday.

The Falcons have flaws, but so does every team, and they're not going away. This is the NFL. Rosters don't morph significantly during the season. The league has a salary cap. There is little roster flexibility. Unlike baseball, there aren't pyrotechnics at the trade deadline. Once a season starts, the best a team can hope for is that a backup evolves and contributes more than expected, or a player released by another team can fill a void, or that drop-kicking a high-profile veteran like Edwards gets everybody's attention.

The Cardinals own one of the best defenses in the NFL. They've done yeoman's work shutting down passing attacks all year, so much so that it's masked their very real problems stopping the run. If that sounds like a less than ideal matchup for the Falcons...well, it is.

Also, unsolicited, he noted that on a majority of Michael Turner's 13 runs that he "had no chance" because "we had free runners at the point of attack." Turner finished with 15 yards and was stuffed on key third-and-goal from the Saints' 1-yard line.

Lawrence Sidbury, a 2009 draft pick, hasn't seen quite the opportunities he had last season when he finished second on the team in sacks with four. Last season, Sidbury didn't begin to see double-digit snaps consistently on defense until Week 11. From that week to the end of the season, the fewest snaps he saw in a single game was 13 and his max was 28.

The Atlanta Falcons today announced that they have signed wide receiver Tim Toone and tight end Chase Coffmanto the active roster, placed tight end Tommy Gallarda on injured reserve, and signed tight end Andrew Szczerba to the practice squad.

All three of their back-to-back losses came in 2009, meaning that the Falcons have not lost two games in a row in almost three years. On Sunday they'll face a Cardinals team that is still vying for a playoff spot.

The Falcons have shown an ability to bounce back quickly after losses since Smith arrived in 2008. They've consistently done this under their current head coach. Smith and his Falcons are 18-3 since '08 after a loss.

It's extremely frustrating to see third-and-short come up every drive, only to see the sticks remain firmly planted it the ground. Honestly, they look better off on third-and-8 throwing downfield than they do trying to pick up a couple yards. This growing trend became apparent throughout Week 10, if it wasn't previously noticed.

According to Saints linebacker Jonathon Vilma, the Falcons like to talk a little smack to former before games. Cardinals defensive back James Sanders played for Atlanta last season and might be hearing some talk this week.